1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spatial light modulators (SLM) for amplitude and phase modulation of incident light and, more particularly, to a hinge mechanism for miniaturized spatial light modulators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microdevices for light modulation go back 15 years or more. In the majority of cases, these devices are comprised of an electrostatically actuated mirror, supported by torsion bars along the axis of rotation of the mirror. A classic example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,611 issued on May 2, 1982 to Petersen, in which an "optical ray deflection apparatus" is described.
The following United States patents also belong to the prior art and the most relevant will be described hereinafter.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date Inventor(s) ______________________________________ 3,886,310 May 27, 1975 Guldberg et al. 4,615,595 Oct. 7, 1986 Hornbeck 5,061,049 Oct. 29, 1991 Hornbeck 5,096,279 Mar. 17, 1992 Hornbeck and Nelson 5,083,857 Jan. 28, 1992 Hornbeck 5,331,454 Jul. 19, 1994 Hornbeck 5,382,961 Jan. 17, 1995 Gale 5,444,566 Aug. 22, 1995 Gale et. al. 5,233,456 Aug. 3, 1993 Nelson 5,212,582 May 18, 1993 Nelson 5,392,151 Feb. 21, 1995 Nelson 5,216,537 Jun. 1, 1993 Hornbeck 5,293,511 Mar. 8, 1994 Poradish and McKinley 5,312,513 May 17, 1994 Florence and Boysel ______________________________________